Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans (MKMVA) president Kebby Maphatsoe says the Provincial Executive
Committees (PEC’s) of the ANC in Gauteng and Eastern Cape should have been disbanded after the party lost key metros after the elections.

He said the loss of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay was the result of leadership failures by ANC leaders in the provinces. Maphatsoe said it was absurd that President Jacob Zuma was blamed for the losses while he was not involved.
“In Nelson Mandela Bay, there is factionalism at a regional level. The officials of the ANC tried to intervene. How many mayors did we change there? Four mayors and the comrades were warned that if you don’t change you are going to lose that municipality as ANC. Zuma was not there in those factional battles. It’s the comrades who did not find each other who were fighting for the resources in Nelson Mandela, that’s why we lost it. They were supposed to
say why the PEC of the Eastern Cape doesn’t step down for failing to give guidance,” he said.

LASHING OUT: MKMVA President Kebby Maphatsoe says failure of the ANC to win elections in the province is because of leadership failure in the Gauteng and Eastern Cape PEC’s. Photo: Denvor de Wee/ Visual Buzz SA

Maphatsoe further lashed out at the Gauteng PEC saying they failed to give guidance when Tshwane was burning. The area degenerated into chaos when Kgosientso Ramokgopa and his deputy Mapiti Matsena were vying for the position of mayor.

Their battles left the region heavily divided resulting in the NEC removing both of them from the position.
“The PEC of Gauteng knew of the problems of Tshwane. Then there was the battle between Sputla and Mapiti. They left it until the meeting of the NEC. They could have resolved that matter and they failed. Did they want Zuma to go there and resolve that matter when there is a PEC?” he asked.
“Tomorrow you will complain that Zuma is interfering. They knew there was a problem in Tshwane. They could have been decisive and said among you two comrades, we are going to take one. That’s decisive leadership. They came in, recommended Comrade Thoko Didiza and the branches revolted. There was fire there,” said Maphatsoe.

He said the resentment from branches to that decision was highlighted at the ballot boxes. The party failed to win Tshwane and the Democratic Alliance won control of the municipality through a coalition government.

Maphatsoe said the manner in which people voted in Tshwane was punishment for the NEC decision to rope in Didiza.
“In the manner that they voted, they were going to punish the NEC. Unfortunately, they regret now. If you check we won majority of the wards we contested but what happened was that they said they will not vote for PR candidates. That is the list that reduced our numbers in Tshwane. There was no Zuma there. In Johannesburg again, our
comrades concentrated on the black middle class a lot – even going to our former leaders giving them jackets to campaign, forgetting our constituency, the townships, and informal settlements.
“They took it for granted that those people will vote for the ANC. There was no Zuma there. I don’t understand where this thing of Zuma comes from. “You should have blamed the ANC PEC and said why they don’t step down. We lost two municipalities here because of the failure of your leadership,” he said.

Maphatsoe called on branches to hold the provincial leadership liable for the losses of the municipalities.
“I still want to see a branch of the ANC here in Gauteng or Eastern Cape stands up and says but you’re blaming the poor old man who was not involved in any of these things. It is you the leadership. “I’m saying the failure of the ANC
to win the elections in the province is because of the lack of leadership in the PEC. It’s up to the branches of the ANC to make their own analysis. Some were saying we lost because of Mr President but that was not the case,” he said.

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